How's the summer? Hope you're having a great time.Today for a change I have a book review for the blog.

ExcerptIn
the Sixties, Athene Forster is the most glamorous girl of her
generation. Nicknamed the Last Deb, she is also beautiful, spoilt and
out of control. When she agrees to marry dashing young heir Douglas
Fairley-Hulme her parents breathe a sigh of relief. But within two
years, rumours have begun to circulate about Athene's affair with a
young salesman. Thirty five years on, Suzanna Peacock is struggling with
her glamorous mother's legacy. The only place she finds comfort is in
her shop, The Peacock Emporium, a coffee shop-cum-curio store, decorated
in her own image, which provides a haven for other misfits in the town.
There she makes perhaps the first real friends of her life, including
Alejandro, a male midwife, escaping his own ghosts in Argentina and
Jessie, a cheerful young mother who helps her the shop. But the spectre
of Athene and the shop itself combine to set in place a chain of tragic
events, forcing Suzanna to confront the feelings she has disguised for
so long - and her family, in their varying ways, finally to deal with
the events of the past. And Suzanna discovers the key to her history,
and her happiness, may have been in front of her all along.

It took me a while to finish this book, as I read this occasionally. The author is very popular these days, as her novel 'Me Before You', a personal favourite, made it to the big screen. This time around she's bringing us a family saga, one of those with an illustrious bloodline but with a few skeletons in their closets.

I enjoyed reading this novel, even though it has nothing to do with 'Me Before You'. Not that all novels looking the same would be a good thing. Too much of the same thing, you know...In a way, this novel brought another one to mind,The Casual Vacancyby JK Rowling. It is also set in a small town for the most part, with busybody neighbours looking for juicy gossip to trade with each other.The main character, Suzanna, has recently moved back to her hometown -which she hates- from London, and both her husband and herself consider that a failure. Her husband is increasing the pressure on her to become a mother, another thing she has always stayed away from. She believes she lacks the maternal gene and is scared to death of childbirth.Suzanne does not want to feel indebted to her family or her husband more than necessary and sets to open a small business locally. It will soon be the hub of the community, thanks to Jessie, a local girl with the social skills that Suzanna lacks, that offers to help her run the place. The Peacock Emporium and its customers: the local priest, the owner of the local deli, a male Argentinian midwife, but mainly Jessie bit by bit will make their mark on Suzanne, who will gradually open up to people and stop complaining about her own situation. A sudden tragedy will make her rethink that, being a turning point in her life.

Have you been an avid reader or a procrastinating one this summer? Let me know what your current read is in the comments section down below.